A letter to my bump

Dear Baby,


My last post was in October, and you were also "born" in October. Coincidence? Nausea and my super tired state through the beginning of this year all point to a big fat no. (OK, so you weren't actually quite born the way most people think of the word, but you certainly changed my world as soon as I knew about the existence of you! That's pretty darn "born" to me.)


I first knew you had arrived in my belly when I couldn't drink. No, your mommy does not need to join a 12-step program, but I do - I mean, I used to - often enjoy a glass of wine (or two) with dinner. One night, many nights ago, that second glass of red just wouldn't go down. I had a sneaking suspicion that you had joined our family. Both your daddy and I were super excited and happy when we saw your healthy little heartbeat at the doctor's office when I was eight weeks pregnant.

Time passed really quickly, yet I also felt like I was pregnant for a long time. And finally and amazingly, today is supposed to be your big, official predetermined birthday... but you seem to be happy just staying put in my tummy. You, like your mommy, must not be in a very big hurry to jump out of a warm and cozy bed. You, like your mommy, must enjoy making a fashionably late entrance. Though your mommy understands how you must feel, she is very, very anxious to meet you! Can you come out soon, please? There are so many people who want to hurry up and love you.

I love you so much already. When I think about holding you in my arms, my eyes get teary - and I am not a crier! I wonder if you look like your mommy or your daddy. I hope you have daddy's long, lean build. (But he was also a TEN-pound baby, so I hope you don't follow him in your birth weight!) Between your daddy's noggin and my own, it's pretty much inevitable that you will have a big head... but that just means you will have a large, smart brain. I haven't heard labor is exactly fun with a melon-headed baby, but I'm ready for you, my love!

Thankfully, you have given me a very easy pregnancy. I was pretty tired and a little nauseated during my first trimester, but I kept everything down and did not have many food aversions or cravings at all. The only cuisine I didn't want was Indian food and kubideh - I usually love both. I wanted to eat anything Korean, probably because it's my comfort food. And lately, I can eat an entire watermelon in just a couple of sittings.

The second trimester was a total breeze; I felt like regular old me, just with an added bump. The third trimester had me feeling a little heavy, but I've been as active as ever. I gained a full 35 pounds (which is on the upper end of the recommended 25-35), and it happened steadily at a pound a week from the moment we confirmed you were growing. Maybe that's why I've been lucky enough to avoid stretch marks (knock on wood). Many of my friends told me that they didn't start gaining until their fourth or fifth month, and some even lost weight in the beginning. But not your mommy! I've had NO problems with eating or sleeping, so I consider myself very blessed. I've had no problems with much of anything outside of my already Flinstone-like feet turning into Shrek feet with all the swelling.

On July 11th, on the first day the new 3G iphone was offered, I stood in line with your Auntie Janet to get it. Uncle Byong didn't seem happy that she was leaving behind her seven-month old baby, Mason oppa, and taking your nine-month pregnant mommy to camp out for a tech toy. But everything worked out beautifully in the end. As far as I was concerned, I was totally fine. Ask me to tell you the story when you get older.

Just this past Sunday, your daddy was planning on going to a Yaz concert with some of our friends. Yaz is already considered old school, so you'll probably consider them absolutely ancient. Anyway, I wasn't planning to go since the 930 Club is pretty much standing room only. My Shrek feet weren't going to fare too well with all that. However, one of our friends backed out, so I decided to check out just a couple of songs... and ended up staying for the whole thing! Your mommy really believes in embracing life and making the most out of every situation, and she plans on passing on that attitude to you too. Your poor daddy has some full hands ahead of him!

Speaking of your daddy, he already loves you too. He's been talking to you and calling your mommy when he's out to make sure you've been safe. When he found out you were going to be a girl instead of a boy, he worried for a full day because he already started to think about your teenage years. Do me a favor and take it easy on him when you get there. You'll want to rebel, and you'll like boys, but let's shield your daddy from the stuff that'll stress him out too much. You don't have to be as much of a prude as your mommy was, but just be a good girl and make sure your daddy knows your goodness. He's a great man, and he's going to be a wonderful daddy. I have a feeling you're going to be daddy's little girl.

You love to move around in me, and you just kicked my rib. You always kick me on my right side. It must be getting tight in there, so come on out whenever you're ready! If you don't make your way out by Monday, your mommy is getting induced. I've heard that labor becomes even more painful this way and possibly leads to a higher rate of C-sections, so we're trying to avoid that. Mommy has been walking a LOT, and the doctor told me at today's appointment that you've dropped a lot since last week, and I'm finally one whole cm dilated (vs the "fingertip" you've been for the last couple weeks). I'm hopeful you'll be ready to make your grand entrance soon. But I don't want to push you if you're not ready, so you go ahead and do whatcha gotta do, baby girl.

Til then, we love you!

This is a postcard

it made my day. The why is soon to come. Isn't unexpected and fun snail mail the best?

Noticed

To my friends who have noticed I haven't been blogging, I thank you for caring. I haven't dropped off the face of DC (though I've considered giving up on trying to find good Mexican food, along with Fernet being served anywhere within driving distance). The truth is, the good ole "tour" is not what it used to be. I might have to change the name of this blog... or at least remove the darn exclamation point. I no longer feel exclamation point worthy! I changed jobs - same company, different position - and now, instead of exploring the new, hip restaurants of San Francisco, I'm driving all over the state of Maryland in my new Prius. Alas. It is what it is.

The good news is that I did finally get myself automobilically-enabled; my daddy still has my silver Prius. My new baby is black and beautiful. (That last sentence on its own might evoke raised brows and questioning looks.) Anyway, the new ride came as a result of my new job, which has kept me ridiculously busy. Thus, the horrid visit to the DC DMV. And the heart-wrenchingly unsympathetic shredding of my beloved CA licence before my very own DC-residing eyes. I think the DMV should be required to have a psychiatrist on site. Are they the ones who can prescribe drugs, or am I thinking of psychologists? Anyway, I needed the mental assistance, but all I had was the lady who told me to smile for my picture, which turned out HUGE on my new license. Go ahead, make your own "big head" jokes and insert 'em right here. Continue reading when you're done.

So I actually considered taking down my blog altogether at one point because I was doing such a bad job of keeping it up. And then I remembered why I kept it in the first place: I want more. (I really wish I would've written this before Britney's new "Gimme More" was released because that's what played in my mind as I typed...) I love to write, and this shouldn't be a chore. I love my friends, and it shouldn't be so hard for me to find the time to pick up the phone to say hello. I love my husband, and my new job shouldn't keep me so busy and tired that I can't enjoy my time with him. Why did I move all the way here, after all?

So I've recommitted myself to writing again. I'm working on another DailyCandy freelance piece. And I'm going to be better about keeping in touch with the people who matter most to me. And I'm going to spend quality time with my beloved Taer, without complaining to him about how hard this new job is. And I'm going to live to LIVE, and not because I'm trying to chase a dollar or prove myself in one way or another to people who don't really care about me being me.

And I hope I recognize myself again.

Never go to the DMV on a friday

... or a Monday. Or any day, if you can help it. After almost 3 hours at the DC DMV with a side trip to the Social Security Administration, they just shredded my CA license - SO SAD! And now I am waiting to take what will surely be a bad photo.

My Kind of Push Ups

OK, I feel like I've turned into a video posting fiend, but this is one that I personally filmed. This is our friends' son, and he is hiLARious! This is his attempt at doing push ups... I think my own version might not look all that different.

SYTYCD

If you haven't seen this yet, watch this first; then go to the parody.

So These Guys Think They Can Dance

and they're hilarious! I'll post the OG dance for anyone who isn't as hooked on "So You Think You Can Dance" as I am.

We're back!

I *think* I should be back to my usual blogging ways soon. In the meantime, here's a little something from our wedding:

DIY wedding veil

I've SO been a BAD BAD blogger! Oh well. The wedding's now less than two weeks away. My newest pat-myself-on-the-back accomplishment is:

I made my own veil.

My uber-cool friend from work, Cristina, gave me the idea, since her talented self did it for her own wedding. So I visited my local fabric store, and...

Now I think I can be a veil maker. I seem to think I can do anything. Ha! Hope it doesn't fly off my head during the ceremony.

Momzilla or Bridezilla?

So my mom has been trying really hard to plan the wedding too. She's been - uh - "helpful" with all her suggestions, but I don't want the Asian-style dreamy glamour portrait shots. I like photojournalism, even if she thinks it looks like "snapshots anyone could take."

I like clean, modern floral arrangements. She wants bright and cheerful.

We have our differences. We're working past them.

Yesterday, she asked me about my DJ. She said, "I don't know what American DJs use, but if they are going to play CDs, we can have some of our friends and relatives bring their KARAOKE music. You know your Uncle Alex is practically like a professional singer!"

I couldn't show my mom my horror immediately. But my wedding will not be an American Idol audition!

The definition of accumulation

I HAVE BEEN A BAD, BAD BLOGGER! Naughty, naughty me. I deserve a spanking for how bad I've been at updating my friends on my life, and I hope anyone who has cared enough to tell me they miss my posts will forgive me. There have been a LOT of things keeping me busy, including the wedding planning - eek - and house renovating, just to name a couple.

Anyway, excuses aside, in my first post "back," I'd like to share one of my most exciting recent endeavors...

We designed and organized our master bedroom closet(s) thanks to The Container Store! And as you can see by our ORANGE closet doors and trim, PAINTING is next on our priority list. (The opposite wall is a bright, electric blue. But that's a whole other story.) Anyway, we measured and entered our measurements online and tweaked our plans before heading to the store on what we thought was the last day of their annual 30% elfa sale. The good news for anyone else out there hoping to organize their living spaces is that the sale has been extended to this Monday, Presidents' Day!

I never thought I'd be so excited about a friggin closet (outside of getting my hands on the goodies in SJP's closet).

But I am.

Does that make me old? I'd like to think I'm simply a domestic diva now.

Anyway, I've also been LEARNING a lot this winter, my first as an east coaster. After my last first snow, I excitedly told anyone around me, "I've never seen snow just falling like this! I only see it when I go snowboarding in Tahoe, and it's already on the ground. I've never slept with 'normal' roads to wake up to whiteness around me. And sometimes it melts away to nothing; and other times it doesn't. It's so cool!"

People looked at me like I was five years old, and they amusedly replied, "Oh, you mean accumulation?" Oh, so that's what it's called. That's what I feel like has been going on with my life too. But I'm ready to sweep away all the stuff and to get back on track with my normal life (whatever that may be).

I also learned about sleet today. It sounds like hail, but it looks like snow. People may try to correct me, but that's how I'm defining it for now. All I know is, it's my friend for now because it gave the government agencies a SNOW DAY off of work as of the afternoon, which meant I couldn't possibly call on any of my customers. Not that I didn't want to work. But this was what I didn't get as a Californian. I feel like a kid all over again.

One other thing I've been meaning and meaning to post about is my best friend's experience with a bad, bad company. Cherrytree.com treated her WRONG, and I need to share the badness! My dear friend bought a present from this company, specifically asking if the package would get to its destination in time for a birthday. They promised it would... and it did not.

After t called several times to figure out what was going on, the condescending worker eventually replied, "This IS the United States Postal Service we are dealing with."

That is NOT good customer service, and that is NOT the way to deal with anyone! A promise is a promise, and an apology should have been at hand. I can deal with small stores, and I appreciate mom and pop places, but I do NOT stand for bad service and unmet promises.

So that's that for now. I promise to be better, even if it's just a bit at a time. I hope all is well!

My first snow as a washingtonian!

Fernet w a ginger back at the five hundred club. I really am back!

The first baby among the girls. So good to be home!

I'm a freelance writer!

So I've been kinda quiet, but I've been uber busy. Here's my first article as a freelance writer on Daily Candy! I'm hoping to grow my writing career, so this is a good first baby step. Have lots more to update, but I also have a lot of other work waiting for me, so I'll have to go for now. But I'll blog again soon!

A Picture Share!

Ladies' tee box in orlando. Magnolia golf course.

A Picture Share!

Our hotel for our much needed vacation. Golf in orlando. Anyone have restaurant recommendations?

The bar exam can kiss my...

So it's that time of the year again. A time I know about all too well. For some, it's filled with happiness and joy; for others, there's nothing but pain and depression. Yes, boys and girls, it's time to find out about bar exam results.

Though the three-day torture in California sucks the big one, I recently found out that people who take the Virginia Bar Exam have to wear suits! And not only is there no "dress down" or "casual dress" policy when it comes to attire, but applicants can't make noise when they walk, so they have to wear sneakers with those suits. Pictures of the too-cool-for-school prom dates from back in the day flashed in my mind when I heard that...

I've got a sty on my right eye

There's a lot of news running through my head, like election day results and the breakup of Britney and K-Fed (who is now being called FedEX). But the thing at the top of my mind, selfishly, is what's going on with my eye. I discovered a sty.

This might not seem like groundbreaking news, but the thing is: THE EAST COAST IS DOING THINGS TO MY BODY! Things are happening to me which NEVER happened before. Aforementioned sty, for example. And my first beads of sweat. With the weather turning cold, I've been finding random dry patches lately. And a couple months ago, my most shocking first: I discovered sun spots on my hands! AaaAAHHHhhhh!!!!!

Luckily, I haven't suffered any permanent damage (that I know of, anyway). I don't know about this whole "seasons" thing, people. The fall foliage is pretty, but this California girl isn't faring too well...

Sleeping habits

T and I spend many Friday and Saturday nights playing holdem with a dozen or so friends. If we go two weeks without this ongoing poker game, it feels like something's missing. Growing up as the four-eyed Goody-two-shoes I was, I never would've imagined my grownup nights to be filled with so much gambling ($20 buy in when the girls play; I don't even want to know the buy in's when it's just testosterone at the table) and drinking. Such is life. At least the little kids who run and dance around us balance it all out... but is it weird that five-year olds include the word "wine" in their vocabulary?

Anyway, last weekend, we decided to sleep at Janet and Byong's palace in Virginia after our game because we were planning to hit the outlets the next day. As we got ready for bed, T instructed me to, "Lock the door."

"Why? No one's going to barge in here."

"Well, Janet might have to come in for something."

"Yeah, but she WOULD KNOCK, dontchathink? What if she's insulted that we felt the need to lock her out?"

"But if she knocks, then she wouldn't try to just come in anyway, so she would never have to know that we locked the door."

"It feels weird for me to lock the door, in someone else's house or our own. It feels so NOT OPEN. Like there's some secret. Like that one time you locked the door on me."

"Babe, I was in the bathroom."

"Still."

"Well, maybe it's because we had our house broken into when I was little; and my sister and I had a gun put to our heads when we got shoved in the closet."

Was he kidding? Sick and somewhat inappropriate jokes live in my man's head; and then they often spill out of his mouth. I shouldn't admit it, but I actually like his taking-it-too-far humor. But this wasn't funny. I was waiting for the, "Ha!" Turns out he wasn't joking after all. So now I try to lock our bedroom door for his sake when we sleep.

I have a feeling this whole survival instinct thing would live in him even without that childhood incident. I think it's a male thing.

My ex-roommate and dear friend, Blaine, says he doesn't have a "my side of the bed" thing. Instead, he simply has to sleep on the side of the bed furthest from the door. And if he's in a hotel room with two beds, he wants the bed furthest from the door. Why? It just might give him those extra few seconds needed to fend off any room invaders. For those of you who don't know, Blaine is a HUGE guy who really shouldn't have to worry about physical harm from the average man, so I found his thinking really fascinating.

I told T about Blaine's theory, and he agrees with it a little bit. T, however, doesn't have that feeling in hotel rooms because the doors seem so secure, but in our home? Well, I sleep closest to the door.

My man claims it's because he just cares about being closer to the bathroom, but I wasn't sure I believed him once he said, "And if anyone comes through our door, they'll get to you first - ha!"